Grading Pacific Division Teams at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline

The March 8 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, with a total of 41 trades being made going back to the beginning of March.  

Of particular note was Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames, who made waves when they shipped out smooth skating Noah Hanifin in exchange for 26 year old offensive defenceman Daniil Miromanov, a flex-friendly conditional 2025 first round pick, and a conditional 2025 third round pick that converts to a 2025 second if the Golden Knights win a playoff round.  

A win for Calgary, a win for Vegas, and a win for the players involved.  

The Golden Knights weren’t done there. Pulling yet another deal with a divisional rival, Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon acquired star center Tomas Hertl with 17 percent retention in exchange for David Edstrom, the Golden Knights’ 2023 first-round pick and a 2025 first-rounder. 

With 15 trade involvements (if you count interdivisional trades as two), it’s fair to say that the Pacific Division evolved this deadline – big time.

With that said, here is how each team fared. 

Pacific Division Deadline Grades 

Vancouver Canucks  

In: None 

Out: None 

Grade: B 

Opting to get their homework handed in early, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin acquired Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov in separate trades with plenty of time before deadline prices came into effect.  

Time will tell how the two look in the playoffs, but the acquisitions haven’t played up to their prices so far.  

The one knock on Allvin’s deadline is the leaked rumors of Elias Lindholm potentially getting flipped. That kind of media noise is not beneficial for a player’s morale. 

Edmonton Oilers 

In: 

D – Troy Stecher
C – Adam Henrique
W – Sam Carrick
G – Ty Taylor
Seventh round draft pick in 2024
Seventh round pick in 2024 

Out: 

First round pick in 2024
Fourth round pick in 2027
Fourth round pick in 2026
Conditional fifth round pick in 2025 

Grade: C 

Oilers general manager Ken Holland wanted depth and got exactly that in the form of Adam Henrique, Troy Stetcher, and Sam Carrick. Whether any of those players will make the Oilers a better team is still in the air. In a world where Matt Dumba cost Tampa Bay less than Troy Stetcher, it’s fair to say that Holland overpaid for some players that could have gone for much less.   

LA Kings 

In: None 

Out: None

Grade: C 

The Kings appear confident that their team can find the proper solutions to their on-ice issues within the dressing room and not externally. 6-3-1 in their last ten, maybe they’re on to something.  

Las Vegas Golden Knights 

In: 

C – Tomas Hertl
D – Noah Hanifin
C – Anthony Mantha
Third round pick in 2025
Third round pick in 2027

Out: 

C – David Edstrom
First round pick in 2025
First round pick in 2026
Second round pick in 2024
Conditional third round pick in 2025
Fourth round pick in 2026

Grade: A 

We get it Kelly McCrimmon. You’re always all-in. Much like Vegas’ aging core, it’s getting old. Like someone constantly injecting products into their face, the Golden Knights are going to flip a switch sooner or later and be ugly for a very long time.  

It won’t be this year. Noah Hanifin being acquired for just a second and a fringe defenceman more than Sam Carrick and Adam Henrique costed is a steal – even if they can’t sign him to an extension.  

Tomas Hertl will be a perfect fit in terms of McCrimmon’s asset management approach.

A strong power center when he’s healthy and an LTIR cap casualty when he’s not. Anthony Mantha is an underrated force with his gloves off, and his 6-foot-5, 234-pound frame will cause the opposition nightmares when teams start tiring out in the later rounds of the playoffs. 

Calgary Flames

In:  

D – Daniil Miromanov
D – Nikita Okhotiuk
C – Riley Damiani
D – Artem Grushnikov

First round pick in 2026
Second round pick in 2024
Conditional third round pick in 2025
Conditional third round pick in 2026

Out: 

D – Noah Hanifin
D – Chris Tanev
W – Mathias Emilio Pettersen
Fifth round pick in 2024
Fifth round pick in 2026

Grade: A 

There is a lot to like in what Craig Conroy brought back to Calgary in his first NHL Trade Deadline. Okhotiuk and Grushnikov are two blue line pit bulls in their early twenties. Daniil Miromanov was promptly extended for two more seasons and has a chip on his shoulder after being the odd man out in Vegas for so long.  

Then there are the picks. The Flames have six picks in the first three rounds next draft. Not bad, but the real coup by Conroy is the unprotected 2026 first round pick from Vegas. If we’re talking movie metaphors, Conroy is running out of that temple with that 2026 first round pick wrapped in his arms and a boulder in hot pursuit.    

The Golden Knights have a lot of playoff games ahead of them before the 2025-2026 regular season. Every game, every series, every run takes a toll.  

To add to that, 2023 Conn Smyth winner Jonathan Marchessault, center Chandler Stephenson, winger Alex Carrier, defenceman Alec Martinez, and Noah Hanifin will all need raises from very affordable cap hits if Vegas wants to keep them from hitting the open market this summer. 

Seattle Kraken 

In: None 

Out: None 

Grade: B 

Sitting six points out of a wildcard spot and with plenty of talent on the roster, general manager Ron Francis is fine with calling this year a wash and gearing toward next season.  

With only Tomas Tatar, Pierre Eduard Bellemare, Justin Schultz, and Joey Daccord as pending UFAs, the Kraken will take a run at the stretch drive and regroup next September if that doesn’t work out. 

Anaheim Ducks 

In: 

C – Adam Henrique
W – Sam Carrick
W – Jan Mysak
W – Ben Meyers
Third round pick in the 2025 

Out: 

D – Ilya Lyubushkin
C – Jacob Perreault
Fifth round pick in 2024 

Grade: A 

Once again a bottomfeeder, Anaheim didn’t have much to gain from moving out a load of their core at the NHL Trade Deadline. They did manage to get a late first out of Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick. A huge win. 

San Jose Sharks 

In: 

G – Vitek Vanecek
G – Devin Cooley
C – David Edstrom
W – Klim Kostin
D – Jack Thompson
First round pick in 2025
Third-round pick in the 2024
Fifth round pick in 2024
Seventh round pick in 2025
Seventh-round pick in the 2025 

Out: 

G – Kaapo Kahkonen
C – Tomas Hertl
D- Radim Simek
C/W – Anthony Duclair
Third round pick in 2025
Third round pick in 2027
Seventh-round pick in 2024
Seventh round pick in 2025 

Grade: A 

Fans are likely unhappy to see Tomas Hertl heading off to a divisional rival. Anthony Duclair was also a major reason to tune in to Sharks games – but general manager Mike Grier did himself a favor this Trade Deadline.  

With Hertl out and seven more UFAs likely departing on July 1, Grier now has a far more blank canvas to start painting out a team with his vision in mind. The process has been ugly, but ugly problems often require ugly solutions.  

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